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The Funds derive from the 1914 Act of Parliament under which the Welsh part of the Church of England was separated and disestablished.  The Welsh Church Act Trust was established from the proceeds and assets, which were distributed evenly among the former County Councils in Wales, and further divided between the newly established Unitary Authorities in 1996.

The Funds are administered for general charitable purposes by each of the unitary authorities individually and there are minor variations between them with regard to the precise details.  However in most if not all cases, grants can be available for the repair and restoration of historic religious and secular buildings, especially when in community use.

The Trustees of the Foundation are prepared to consider applications covering a wide range of charitable activity.  Under the heading of "Religion" the Foundation will consider giving grants for the preservation of religious buildings of historic or architectural interest.  This heading accounted for the largest number of grants in the year to April 2008.  Under the heading of "Other" the Foundation also supports the preservation of the secular built heritage.

The trustees support local applicants for work in the fields of education, family welfare, medicine, medical research and preservation.  Under the heading of "Preservation" the Trust has made modest awards in the past towards repairs to churches.

The Wixamtree Trust is a general grant-making trust with a wide range of charitable interests, one of which is "Environment and Conservation".  Under this heading, the Trust makes grants to historic buildings and churches.

Within a very much broader range of charitable interests the Foundation has a number of stated charitable priorities relevant to this Directory:

Historic Buildings: grants are awarded for repair to the fabric of listed (Grade I or Grade II*) buildings that are open to the public.

Churches: the Foundation has a dedicated programme in support of Anglican churches. Eligible churches must be listed (Grade I or Grade II*) and pre-date 1850, and grants are made toward the conservation of the historic fabric.  Non-Anglican churches that meet the above criteria may be eligible under the general historic buildings programme and should see the general advice for making an application.

War Memorials:  The Foundation has a joint programme for the conservation of war memorials with English Heritage and War Memorials Trust.  For further information, see the separate entry in this Directory under War Memorials Trust.

The Jewish Heritage Grant Programme addresses the urgent conservation needs of historic synagogues at risk of losing their architectural integrity. Founded in 1988, it is believed to be the only international, private, non-profit initiative to address the urgent preservation needs of historic synagogue architecture and art by means of an annual cycle of grants.

The Kress Foundation has helped launch architectural conservation projects for significant art in an architectural context at many of Europe’s most important cultural monuments.  From 1970 to 2008, the Kress Foundation provided nearly $12,000,000 to WMF for work in more than 40 countries.

The European Fine Interiors Programme, managed by WMF Europe, addresses threats faced by significant but neglected architectural interiors. Projects include a dozen sites in five countries, representing important interiors in former residences as well as religious and domestic buildings.

The programme provides for restoration, maintenance, and interpretation for the public; survey and documentation of interior finishes; and technical assistance and opportunities for training in traditional crafts and preservation arts with European institutional and philanthropic partners.

WMF's work depends on a strong network of international partners as well as close collaboration with the local communities that are the ultimate stewards of cultural heritage sites.  Its partners include government organizations and NGOs that share its commitment to rescuing endangered sites and protecting them for future generations.  Prominent among WMF's partners is Robert W. Wilson, who established the Robert W. Wilson Challenge to Conserve Our Heritage as a catalyst to encourage non-US donors and partners—from both the public and private sectors—to contribute matching funds for projects outside the United States.

The Wilson Challenge has supported some of WMF's most ambitious projects and has leveraged millions of dollars in matching support.  For example, the lead funders of the restoration of Saint George's Church, Bloomsbury, in London included The Paul Mellon Estate, the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Robert W. Wilson Challenge to Conserve Our Heritage and English Heritage/HLF Joint Places of Worship Scheme and others.

Launched in 1996, the World Monuments Watch programme is the flagship advocacy tool of World Monuments Fund, identifying and supporting cultural landmarks in immediate peril.  The launch of the programme marked the involvement of founding sponsor American Express with WMF.

One of the organisation’s most effective tools, the Watch acts as a potent call to action on behalf of sites in urgent need of immediate help.  It is based on a biennial list - the World Monuments Watch list of 100 Most Endangered Sites. 

The biennial WMF World Monuments Watch reveals common threats, both natural and man-made, to cultural heritage around the world. The 2008 Watch, WMF’s seventh, highlighted the threat mankind poses to its own cultural heritage through pollution, unmanaged tourism, climate change, conflict and economic and development pressures as urban centres expand.

WREN is the acronym for Waste Recycling Environmental Limited.  It is one of the not-for-profit businesses that help benefit the lives of people who live close to landfill sites by awarding grants for environmental, heritage and community projects. 

WREN is a non-profit making Distributive Environmental Body (DEB) enrolled with ENTRUST to fund projects which are eligible under the Landfill Communities Fund.  This entry is included as an exemplar of such enrolled DEBs, to give a broad overview of their policies, objectives and approach.  The precise conditions will vary from one DEB to another, and will depend on the landfill sites, the revenues they generate and the eligible projects in each area. 

WREN receives the majority of its funding from the landfill tax levied by Waste Recycling Group. Some funding is also received from Yorkshire Water and distributed in the form of grants.

WREN's operating philosophy includes:
• involving local people in the decision making process;
• spending tax raised in any given area back in that area:
• raising levels of awareness of the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme thus encouraging those organisations with eligible projects to seek funding support.

WREN can fund a wide range of projects under Object E of the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme. Funding is available for projects involving the maintenance, repair or restoration of a building or other structure, which is a place of religious worship or of historic or architectural interest.  [It can also fund certain other projects which are outside the remit of this Directory.]